Fatal Hesitation

Part Two

Love/Sex: This story features relationships between adult women. If this bothers you,
is illegal in the State, Province or Country you live or if you are under
the age of 18, find something else to read. There are loads of general stories
out there.

Language: No strong language.

Violence:There is implied violence in this story.

Hurt/Comfort:There are scenes of heartache to be dealt with by the characters.

The evening had been wonderful, from
the delightful meal at the sailing club to the friendly banter she and Don always
shared. To top it off, they watched the glorious sunset from the small bridge
close to her parent’s condo.

Breathing in the scent of the evening, she could smell
the sea that was lapping at the shore and the pungent, but not unpleasant, aroma
of the flowers that were growing beneath the trees lining the road to the beach.
Another fragrance assailed her senses and she smiled as she figured out what
it was, Don’s aftershave. At least she suspected it was the lotion. “Isn’t it
a beautiful sight?” Amelia turned to her companion and blushed slightly as she
locked glances with the man who wasn’t looking in any direction but straight
at her.

“Oh yes, it never fails to amaze me.”
His flashing, white teeth against the tan-bronzed skin glistened as the moonlight
caught them. For a moment, her thoughts shifted to her business partner as she
wondered how she was doing without her to keep up on the filing. “Penny for
your thoughts?” Don remarked quietly. He saw something in her eyes that he was
sure didn’t have anything to do with where and whom she was with right then.

With a faint chuckle, Amelia looked down to the beach
as she shrugged slightly. “Nothing to tell, I was thinking about work.”

Don gave her a hard look as he considered her words
for a moment before replying. “I see. You mean me and this marvellous evening
cannot distract you from thinking about the job? It must have a powerful hold
on you… or maybe it isn’t the job. Maybe it is someone who works with you?”
He didn’t know a great deal about her associates but he was sure she worked
predominantly with women. That information he gleaned from various things mentioned
by his parents.

For a second Amelia wasn’t sure how to answer him,
his voice had taken on a bitter edge and she wondered why. “Oh Don, please you
can’t be serious. Tonight puts everything else, including the work, in the background.
I can’t tell you when I’ve enjoyed an evening so much, thank you.”

Although she should have known it might happen, what
happened next had Amelia reeling. Don bent down and kissed her gently at first
before the pressure increased with his mounting passion. The passion was what
had the alarm bells ringing inside Amelia’s head. This isn’t exactly how
I planned to tell him we can never be anything more than friends. Pulling
away from the embrace, she was thwarted by his strength. It wasn’t until she
pummelled him on the chest and brought him out of his emotional out-pouring,
that she was able to get free. Oh great this is way out of my league. Moving away from him, she saw his eyes glazed with passion as he struggled to
keep control of his emotions. Amazingly he did, almost as quickly as he had
fallen foul of them.

“Amelia I’m so sorry I don’t know what got a hold
of me. No, that wouldn’t be right. I do know…you have. You enchanted me as a
child, then as a young woman, and today the feelings haven’t changed.” He spoke
softly, as though she was a child, as he reached out and took hold of her hand
before she could prevent him.

Swallowing hard, she smiled gently. This isn’t
going to be easy. “Look Don, you and I have known each other for years it’s
natural that you have feelings for me, but…” she was prevented from finishing
at that moment as he held his fingers to her lips.

“Don’t Amelia. Please don’t give me all that psychological
babble. I know how I feel, have always felt about you and now you’re free. I
want you to know that I’m waiting for you… have always waited for you. I knew
you’d return to me one day.”

Oh my goodness, Amelia’s thoughts crashed around
her .This isn’t what I expected. Has he carried a torch for me all these
years? Their romantic liaison was never a possibility in the past and it certainly
wasn’t in the future. “Don, I’m flattered…of course I am. However, I took some
serious vows years ago and it might look like I’ve left that life behind, but
it’s always going to be part of me. Whatever I decide to do with my life in
the future, I can’t be anymore than a friend to you Don.”

Don would not be thwarted. I’ve waited for her
all these years and now that she is free I intend to make her mine. It doesn’t
matter what she says, she’ll agree in the end, I’ll make sure of it. “Hey
Amelia look, I’m sorry for coming onto you so strongly. Let’s call it a night
shall we and see what tomorrow brings. We have that invitation to go sailing
with the Courtney’s in the morning at nine. Let’s get you home for your beauty
sleep.”

In a way, it was a relief to Amelia that he appeared
to be taking her words seriously. At the same time, she felt there was an undercurrent
in his manner that gave off an emergency signal. Tomorrow is another day
and being in the company of another couple is a relatively safe option. After
that, I’ll ensure I am never alone with him again. “Good idea, it has been
a long day.” They walked towards the condo at a pace that would have had people
wondering if rain was on the way instead of a perfectly balmy clear night.

+ + +

Sharon Agnew waited pensively for Detective Santos
to arrive at her home. The detective had called to confirm her visit the day
before. An hour earlier her phone call indicated she was on schedule and asked
if the meeting at nine was still good. It certainly was and she sighed in relief
that at last someone understood her plight and was going to help. She had lived
in the town for most of her life so it was hard to stomach that no one believed
her protestations about the predator who was stalking her. If not stalking her,
the person was at least making a good job of pestering the life out of her.
The messages, strange gifts left on her doorstep, mailbox, or at the school
were becoming unbearable.

Even the principle of her school had written the events
off as a prank by one of the kids. They will stop when they become fed up
with their tricks and move on she was told. However, they hadn’t! Whoever
was doing this had been sending her objects for the last eight months and the
situation was now escalating. At first they were small, insignificant items
like a comb, toothbrush and hair ribbons. Then they changed to offal from cattle
and pigs. The last one had been a pig’s ear along with it a note - this could
be yours. She had taken the offending item and the note to the sheriff and
her complaint was relegated to the list when they have the time. The
reason – the police were embroiled in the antics of teenagers threatening business’
in town. That had been the last straw. She knew then that only outside help
could rid her of the problem.

Finding someone who could take on the case had been
the difficult part. Several well known local state agencies had declined her
business. Finally, beyond desperate, with eyes shut tightly, she blindly stuck
a pin in the phone book. If it was luck or divine intervention she didn’t know
but she had found an agency that would take her case. Looking at the concise
printing on the detective’s card, she had to admit that the name of the agency
had been off-putting. Who in their right mind would call a business, When
Hell Meets Heaven? Whatever bizarre things her mind conjured up d with the
title, she had to admit that the private detective appeared capable and interested,
which was her main criteria. Now, she was sure things would move along and the
situation would, at last, be put to bed.

The sound of tires crunching on the side drive of
her house had Sharon quickly appearing at the window and looking out. A silver
jeep was parked in the driveway and the vehicle door was opening. A black booted
foot appeared followed by the lithe figure of the private detective. Twitching
back the curtain, she waved at the detective who gave her a small, barely discernable
acknowledgement as her eyes surveyed the surrounding area. Leaving the window,
Sharon headed to her front door and opened it. Now that the woman was there,
Sharon wasn’t at all sure it was a good idea. What will the folks in town
think if they find out? What does it matter anyway? They have no interest in
me or what happens to me that is blatantly obvious.

“Welcome to Ransomville, Detective. May I offer you
refreshment after your journey?” Sharon held out her hand and Olivia, who quickly
surveyed the area around the house, shook the hand in greeting.

“Sure, I’ll have lemonade. A very cold one if you
have it.”

There was a tinkle of laughter from Sharon as she
motioned for Olivia to enter then led her to the study. “No country girl would
be worth her salt if she hadn’t detective.”

Not sure how to answer that one, Olivia merely nodded
and followed her client. Inside the study, she noted that there wasn’t a piece
of furniture out of place or any evidence that anyone ever used the room. A
vast majority of the furniture looked brand new and barely out of the packing,
while others, notably the chairs, hadn’t even had the cellophane removed. “Have
you just bought these?”

Sharon looked at the objects in question, hesitated
a moment then replied. “I guess you could say that.”

Olivia turned her head to the side and gave the woman
a long, hard look, as she digested, not so much the words but the manner and
tone of their delivery. Sharon Agnew is lying. Now why would she do that?
Interesting. “If you want a hand in unpacking them I’ve been told I’m pretty
good in that department.”

Sharon sucked in a deep breath as she saw the muscles
ripple in the strong arms of the detective. I just bet you are and in other
ways too no doubt, she thought as she shook her head. “I’ll take care of
it later. Where are my manners? Let me fetch you that cold lemonade.”

Olivia carefully observed every item in the room.
Having a great memory for that kind of thing had held her in good stead for
years. Her instincts kicked in big time. Something about this place isn’t
right. She couldn’t place a finger on what exactly but something was setting
off alarms. Maybe the fact that the woman is spooked has a great deal to
do with it.I bet once I get a look at the gifts and messages she’s received
I will have a clearer understanding of what isn’t right.

Walking over to a desk, which was the focal fixture
of the room, she picked up one of two photos. It was a group photo of what appeared
to be a graduation. She had one herself hanging on the kitchen wall which was
appropriate since it was the only place, other than the computer, that she spent
any length of time. Placing the picture back in exactly where she had taken
it from, she selected the second photo. It was more personal showing Sharon
Agnew when she was a little younger with two other women. Perhaps they were
her siblings, though there wasn’t any noticeable similarity in their features.
They all looked happy, particularly Sharon. A sound behind her had Olivia replacing
the photograph carefully and turning towards the noise. A faint smile played
over her lips as she saw the expression on Sharon’s face - she wasn’t happy.
“I have a graduation picture displayed at home, is this from yours?”

“Yes, I was top of my year and had the teaching world
at my feet.” She shrugged. “Well that was what many of my lecturers said at
the time.” An underlying bitterness permeated her voice as she placed the lemonade
on the highly polished coffee table.

Olivia digested every movement and gesture of the
woman. She is certainly edgy. “Know what you mean. Right, how about we
look over your… keepsakes.”

At the mention of the items, Sharon
seemed more cheery. Another oddity, Olivia supposed. Where is a shrink
when you need one? As she thought that, a genuine smile crossed her lips
as the face of Amelia flooded her mind. A thought she banished into the background
as she opened the large box stuffed with various objects and letters.

+ + +

Teal laughed as she replaced the receiver of her phone.
Phil was going to arrive later to check that all the alterations had been completed
and were as the doctor order… or in this case, the detective. The mere mention
of Phil had Teal’s senses going into overload as she thought of the weekend
they had shared. It had been nothing short of perfect and all she wanted was
to be held in those strong, yet gentle arms again. Argh, who said working
kept you alive in this mercenary world. I’d settle for love anytime. As
she continued to wallow in her own daydreams, she failed to hear the phone at
first, but then had to scramble to lift the receiver and sound professional
when her whole body felt like jelly.

“Hello this is the WHMW agency how can I help?”

A familiar voice that held amusement, answered. “You
can help by not spending the whole day, daydreaming about a certain party.”

“Oh darn it Olivia how did you know… I wasn’t anyway!”
Teal spluttered out in self defence. A huge was grin plastered on her small
face. The detective is good, way too good.

“Teal, can you do some leg work for me please?” Olivia
asked politely. She normally would have asked Amelia but she was on vacation
and Teal was the next best thing.

“Sure, how can I help?” Her adrenalin received a burst
that had nothing to do with sex. This was an unusual and rare request.

Olivia smiled into her cell at the surprised, but
excited tone. “I need to have a background check done on Sharon Agnew at this
address. If you can’t find anything give Captain Tourney a call, his number
is…”

“Oh hold it right there Olivia. How can I ask a police
captain to do that for me?” Teal was astounded at the request. She knew that
Olivia had friends in strategic places and apparently, according to Amelia,
the captain and Olivia went back years. However, that didn’t mean she could
ask for that kind of information. “What if he asks me why?”

There was a loud chuckle at the other end of the line.
“David and I go back a long time Teal. Trust me, if he knows it’s for me he’ll
find out. It will cost me a dinner date with him, but I’ll survive.”

“Oh he’s sweet on you, now I get it. No problem at
all,” Teal announced pleased to find out that Olivia wasn’t as alone as she
appeared.

There was a profound silence at the other end and
then Olivia spoke quietly. “Just find out what you can about my new client.
By the way, are the alterations to Amelia’s office and her apartment complete?”

Teal had a six-month learning curve of knowing when
Olivia wanted to change the subject and this was that time. “Yes, Phil will
be here this afternoon to check out the finished product.”

Drolly, Olivia remarked as she ended the conversation,
“I suspect that isn’t all Phil is checking out. Call me when you have the information…
sooner rather than later Teal, bye.”

The mention of Phil’s name did that somersault thing
to her stomach again as she drifted off for a few seconds into her own dream-world
that existed just for her and Phil. Oh if only. Then she pulled herself
back to her professional mode and began the task of finding out as much as possible
about Ms. Sharon Agnew. A question tumbled in Teal’s mind, why didn’t Olivia
do this research earlier.

+ + +

Amelia sat comfortably in the window seat of the conservatory
in the condo. She had a book resting on her lap and apparently was in the process
of reading. However, the pages had not been turned. To anyone looking, she gave
the impression of serene peacefulness - that was far from the truth.

The day before had been a relative success - she managed
to never be alone with Don for even a second. His demeanour had been relaxed
and cheerful and clearly he thought nothing untoward had happened between them.
She spent the day with the visage she wore for the public at large, but that
changed when she returned home later that afternoon.

“Don, I’m sorry I have a terrible headache so I’m
going to pass on dinner tonight.” Don hadn’t taken it well and she was sure
he was suspicious of the well used excuse. Fortunately, she hadn’t had to fabricate
an excuse for her parents who had seen her lacklustre smile when she’d greeted
them.

“A nice long bath will relax you after the day out,”
her mother said casually. Dutifully she had done that and in many ways it had
been good for her… except for one thing. Her thoughts had drifted to work, or
rather the agency, and the two people she missed the most, Olivia and Teal.

It was becoming clearer through the haze of indecisiveness
she had worn like a mantle since leaving the convent, that very soon now she
had to make a choice. There was no diverting the issue for much longer. After
her vacation, she had to decide what was best for her and the people involved
in her life. Will it be the convent and the order or the agency and my friends? At times like these she wished she had someone to confide in - someone like
Sister Marie. Although they hadn’t been in each other’s company for any great
length of time, she felt the spiritual aura the Sister wielded reach into her
soul at times. It made her realise that she had a say in what her life should
be and to not hide behind the mantle of the order she, for so long, had thought
to be her place in life. Still, she couldn’t quite divest herself of either
of the lifestyles she had indulged in. If only a halfway house existed that
I could happily attach myself to. That way I could live my life in both camps.

That night her parents decided to spend the evening
in. They had a pleasant enough meal and watched TV together afterwards. Her
parents, recognizing she had decisions to make, knew they could only stand by
and watch. That was a particularly hard thing to swallow as they watched their
child flounder knowing they could not help her in any way. Right now, all they
could do was wait and hope for the moment when their child decided to trust
them with her problems. And, that could possibly be never. The evening slid
by and finally they all decided that an early night would be beneficial on them
all. Particularly for the young woman who appeared to be fighting her own brand
of demons inside her head.

The next morning Don phoned and Amelia had pulled
a face which was duly noted by her mother. “Don, you can’t monopolise Amelia’s
time for her whole vacation. We need some time too,” she said in a motherly
fashion. “We are having a family outing today.”

“Really?” Don said confrontationally.

“Yes, dear,” her mother said with a slightly worried
expression in her eyes.

“Okay. Can I speak with her?”

“Don I will tell her you called and she will call
you back later.”

“Fine,” he said apparently taking it well.

After she hung up the phone, she turned to her daughter.
“You know, Don is a lovely boy darling, but don’t you think that you should
tell him that you’re not interested in him romantically?”

Amelia scowled at her mother. It was something she
hadn’t done in years and all her convent preparations and training hadn’t diminished
her ability to be upset with her parent. “Mother, I tried he doesn’t seem to
want to listen.”

Shirley West was pleasantly pleased at the outrage
on her daughter’s face for it meant that her petulant child was still inside
that public serene image she had shown to the world since adopting the church
and God as her life. “Well you didn’t try hard enough, the boy is clearly besotted.
What do you think Pearson?”

Amelia’s father slid the newspaper down slightly and
looked at the two women in his life, just like old times. His grin was
evident as he finally answered, “I think Amelia is old enough and wise enough
to deal with this situation. Now, if you two don’t mind, I’m checking out my
shares.” He pulled the paper back up and immersed himself in the ups and downs
of the share market.

With a puffed out sound that wasn’t comprehensible,
Shirley continued her act of preparing more toast. They’re two peas from
the same pod.

That had been three hours earlier and Amelia was now
alone with her thoughts again. What she wouldn’t give for a couple of therapy
sessions with one of her patients right now to take her mind off her own problems. Perhaps that is another avenue. Instead of Sister Marie, maybe I should see
one of my own. As the idea permeated her thoughts, she shrunk from it. I
am a physiatrist after all, surely I can figure out my own problems. Finally
opening the book her mother had given her she began to read. A romance,well of course!

+ + +

Olivia had reluctantly left Sharon Agnew, who was
attending a meeting at the school. She would take the time to take stock of
the small town. From what the woman had cautiously said, there were plans well
on the way for closing the school in town and bussing the children to the larger
one twenty miles away. Maybe the woman has more on her mind than the person
or persons who are sending her the obnoxious messages.

As she crossed the main street to check out the local
sheriff’s office, she was amazed that people still lived in places like this. Talk about a one horse town. The placard outside the town indicated that
a mere 800 people lived there. As she scanned the main street, she saw the prerequisite
barber shop, hotel, diner, doctor’s office, sheriff’s office and a local store
that seemingly sold everything under the sun. At least that was what she deduced
from her cursory glance while passing the building. A small bank flanked the
end of the street on the left and to the right was the railroad depot. Inside
the three metre square building they called a station she suspected, was the
last of the Western Union telegraph offices. It was a completely out of date
method of communication and she was glad for the new technology. On the western
edge of the town was a church, traditional in style, wooden structure probably
from the 1800’s. The local school was on the eastern edge of town which was
in the opposite direction from Sharon’s home. That really wasn’t a significant
point since everything was in walking distance for anyone living in the town’s
vicinity.

As she reached the sheriff’s office, she stood for
a moment deciding on her approach. She could be adversarial, which wouldn’t
take much effort from her or she could actually be nice, which would take a
great deal of effort. Well, I’ll decide once I met the guy. Opening the
door, she stepped inside and was slightly surprised when a female voice asked
her, “How can I help you?”

Olivia had made the same assumption most made about
her - that the sheriff was a man. Quickly displacing her surprised expression
with a slight smile, “Hi, I’m looking for the sheriff.”

The woman stood up from behind her desk and motioned
Olivia forward. She had a beaming smile on her attractive, fresh looking features.
Her bright glossy brown eyes held a spirit within them that held Olivia’s attention.
Usually that meant that the person was intelligent. “Well you’d be looking for
me. I’m Sheriff Mason, how can I help?”

At least this seems like it is going to be a pleasant
experience. One thing she did know, a bright attractive woman was a bonus
when it came to her job. Usually, she came across the dregs of society and the
police she met were usually world weary men. Holding out her hand, Olivia offered
it to the sheriff. “I’m Olivia Santos a private detective. I’m working for Sharon
Agnew.”

Although the sheriff took Olivia’s hand she dropped
it quickly when she mentioned her client’s name. “I see. She finally decided
to do something on her own about that nonsense she’s been spouting about around
town.”

Having seen the notes and gifts, the sheriff’s summing
up of the situation appeared completely wrong. Perhaps she isn’t as intelligent
as it first appeared. “Have you seen the items she’s been receiving, especially
the new ones?”

“Ms. Santos, I don’t think there is anyone in town
that hasn’t seen the box of mementos she carries with her everywhere. However,
I did offer to have my deputy look into her case as soon as he was free from
a trial he is involved with.”

Olivia pondered the statement for a moment. “I’ve
seen this kind of thing before when I was on the force myself and, in my experience,
it usually means trouble.”

Sheriff Mason digested the comments and then motioned
for Olivia to take a seat. “How about we have a coffee and I’ll give you a little
background and you can do the same for me.”

The words didn’t hold any sting, but
Olivia knew that the sheriff was going to attempt to gain more information from
her than she was ever going to receive regarding Sharon Agnew. Glancing at her
watch, she decided time wasn’t on her side for a lengthy friendly chat
with the local enforcement. “Sorry Sheriff I have other things to do right now,
but if you want to know if I’m good at what I do call this number.” Olivia selected
a card and tossed it on the desk and the sheriff picked it up immediately. Before
she could respond, the private detective had left.

After leaving the sheriff’s office, Olivia decided
the diner was always a good source of local gossip in a town this size and anyway,
she was in dire need of lunch. Crossing over the street, she entered the diner,
which had the same quaint feel as much of the town. She glanced at the clock
on the wall. It was lunchtime and by the looks of the place it was filling fast.
Finding a booth that was empty, she sat down and checked out the surroundings.
The place wasn’t proportional to any she had eaten at in the city but it didn’t
need to be very big in a town that small. After all, it wasn’t exactly the heaving
metropolis of the countryside either. Picking up the menu, she would have been
amazed if she saw other than the general basic meals offered by any small outlet.
The place was clean and tidy but a little shabby around the edges giving the
place character.

“Hi there what can I get you?” A waitress had appeared
at her shoulder, pen poised over a note pad and waiting. How is it they have
a knack of doing that? Maybe I’ll have to take a course because it sure
would be handy in my line of work.

“What do you recommend?” Olivia peered up into the
misty grey eyes of the waitress, who was of average height and weight. Pretty
much nondescript.

The waitress took on that bored expression as she
recited the regular menu items and then a couple of the chef’s specials.

“Okay thanks. I’ll have the scrambled eggs with hash
browns and a side order of fries. Coffee black and thanks for your help,” she
said though it would be difficult to say the woman had been any help at all.
Maybe it was her tone of voice or the fact she said thank you, that made the
waitress appeared to shoot out of her boredom and grin back enthusiastically.
“Sure thing, I’ll bring that coffee.”

With a wry smile, Olivia gazed around the place taking
special not of the people seated there. They all looked normal - or as normal
as you could ever term a human being. Mentally sifting through the items Sharon
had shown her, Olivia created in her mind a plan of action of how to find out
who was doing this to the woman. The one thing that kept popping into her head
was that she would need to stay overnight and take up a surveillance point near
the house. Maybe more than one night. Hopefully the perps will make themselves
known over the weekend. Otherwise I’ll have to have to call Teal and cancel
my schedule until the middle of the week. She’ll have to call Andy to step in
for me on the smaller cases.

Andrew Garcia had been a young man in need of direction
eight years earlier. She and Max, her partner in particular, had entered the
breach and bailed the youngster out of trouble. They put him on the straight
and narrow before he became a lost cause. Over the last eight years he’d gone
back to school and even ended up with a college degree. He graduated in psychological
before entering nursing school. From time to time, to supplement his training
income, he had done a few simple odd jobs for them. Now, a fully accredited
nurse he was working in the hospital psych ward. He had had a year’s sabbatical
in Eastern Europe and returned to the city shortly after Max’s death. As Olivia
thought about the young man, she supposed she should mention him to Amelia sometime. They have something in common. As she pondered, she wondered, why
haven’t I told Amelia about him? Hmm interesting. Teal is going to be surprised
too. She hadn’t been informed of Andy either.

“Here’s your coffee, anything else you need give me
a holler.” The waitress disappeared as silently as she arrived.

Sipping the steaming coffee, she pulled a face as
the gravely mixture entered her mouth. Wow this is worse than any I’ve had
from a vending machine. Replacing the cup on the saucer, she felt eyes looking
at her. Lifting up her eyes to see who was looking, she realized it wasn’t just
one pair but several. As she stared back she saw they were looking at her in
curiosity rather than any animosity. As it was in a small town, the gossip mongers
would be out in strength if they found out why she was there and who she was
working for. As with many people when confronted, they looked away and these
country folk did just that. Olivia considered trying the coffee again, but decided
instead to drink from the glass of water. Her lunch turned out to be a rather
interesting event mostly because she received more furtive glances than a Hollywood
star.

As she left, she gave the waitress a large tip and
a wink as the woman said, “Anything you need just to head in my direction.”

Hmm wonder what anything means. Still she had
no time to dwell on such things and decided to head back to the Agnew home and
make plans for her stakeout. Tonight I am going to get the sucker who preys
on lonesome women.

**********

Teal knew Amelia was going to love the
new additions to the office, hers in particular, not to mention the addition
Olivia had arranged for her apartment. It would have been so easy for Amelia
to go home with tail between the legs and live with her parents again once she’d
effectively left the convent. However, Amelia being Amelia, didn’t want that.
She said, who wants to go back to living with parents when you’re in your
thirties. Teal had offered her a place to stay as she had a spare room in
her apartment, but that was declined too. She reasoned that living and working
under the same roof with a person was too much. I need my personal space.

The notable person who didn’t offer her a place to
stay had been Olivia. It was true the detective didn’t know Amelia that well,
but even so, from what Amelia had indicated from her view of Olivia’s home,
she hardly used the place for much more than a place to sleep. Not that it would
have mattered, Amelia would have used the same stock phrase she’d used on Teal… I need my personal space. Though, Teal had the distinct feeling Amelia
would have taken up Olivia’s offer. A part of her had been a little jealous
of that aspect of her friend’s surmised relationship with the detective. What
had happened had been better all round, as Olivia knew of an apartment.

The death of Max Anderton caused a vacancy that Amelia
was happy to fill. Olivia also didn’t appear aggrieved that her deceased partner’s
home was now being taken over by the new partner. She had called it the right
choice. The place was close to the office and had its good and bad points.
Olivia living in close proximity was a major plus, even if the detective rarely
made her presence known on the weekends. Amelia had spent a fortune on changing
the décor and generally upgrading the establishment, so much so it was hard
to associate the old place with the new. Now, the new addition to the apartment
would be a wonderful surprise for Amelia and one Teal knew the doctor would
love immediately.

The insistent sound of the phone ringing had Teal
heading towards her desk and retrieving the instrument. “Hello this is the WHMH
agency, how can I help?” They had decided from the early days, at least she
had, that reducing the agency name to initials was a good idea, and less intimidating.

“Teal, how are you doing?” Amelia sounded reassured
to hear her voice.

“Amelia, it’s wonderful to hear from you. How was
your first week?” Teal was worried about her friend and was very pleased to
hear from her. All the changes had to be taking their toll in more ways than
her friend would probably accede.

There was a few moments silence and immediately Teal
knew something wasn’t right. Amelia was such a spontaneous person. “For the
most part great, my folks were pleased to spend some time with me.”

“Oh. There’s a but coming, right?”

“Can’t sneak anything past you can I Teal?” Amelia
smiled at her end and shook her head ruefully. The sound of Teal’s voice
is what I needed.

“You never were a very good liar. Do you want an excuse
to come home?” There was no point pussy-footing around the issue, she knew her
friend too well. The renovations to the apartment were done so it was safe for
her to come back home.

With a relieved sigh at the end of the phone, Amelia
breathed out her reply, “Yes.”

“Great, well I think I can say that you’re needed
here. Even our intrepid detective would agree if she was around. Pack your bags.
Want me to book you on a flight out of there?”

“No, I’ll make my own travel plans thanks Teal. How
is Olivia? Busy as always I suspect.”

Teal smiled; yep there is more going on under the
deep waters between those two than even they understand. “At the moment
I actually think she’s taken on a job she isn’t quite happy with. I’ve even
had to call the police captain friend of hers for information. If you ask for
my opinion, she could probably do with your expert help.”

“Oh you’re only saying that Teal, we both know she’d
never admit that she needs…my help. Though it’s nice to think she might at some
stage.” Amelia sounded resigned to the fact Olivia would probably never say
she needed her partner’s help.

Teal’s brow furrowed as she dwelt on that comment, stranger things can happen. “Call her cell and say you’re free and ask
if she needs any help with any leg work?”

“You know I might just do that Teal, thanks for the
information. See you when I get back. It should be late afternoon tomorrow.”

The call ended and Teal wondered if Amelia really
would call Olivia. It just may be one of those moments when the ice is broken
and things change forever. Her mind returned to her own dreams and a certain
party.